Erling Haaland's departure from Borussia Dortmund in July is not a foregone conclusion, chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said on Sunday.
The Norway striker, 21, has been a revelation since joining from Salzburg in January 2020 and media reports say he has an exit clause of just 75 million euros (88 million dollars), which is triggered next year.
"It has not yet been decided whether he will really leave next summer," Watzke told Sport1.
"He will eventually play for one of the best clubs in the world. But he still has so much time.
"Robert Lewandowski was with us for four years after his transfer from Lech Poznan before he went to Bayern Munich."
Watzke would not confirm the exit clause existed, but hinted at it.
"I have never in my life talked about the contents of players' contracts," he said before acknowledging that his 2012 comments about never inserting such clauses into deals no longer applied.
"There are very few sentences in this life that are set in stone for all time. Unless your head is made of concrete, you have to realize that the world has changed."
Chelsea's Timo Werner is one named tipped in the media with replacing Haaland at Dortmund when he moves. However, Dortmund have made a habit of recruiting teenage talent in recent years.
"One thing our people can count on. We will find someone," Watzke said.
